'World Mosquito Day – August 20, 2023'

More than just annoying summertime pests, mosquitoes are also responsible for spreading malaria, a disease that kills over half a million people every year. When Ronald Ross discovered that mosquitoes transmit malaria in 1897, he revolutionized our understanding of the disease and led to increased awareness about malaria prevention.

Today, the best way to prevent the disease is to avoid bites by infected mosquitoes.

Insecticide-treated nets, preventive treatment for pregnant women and infants, and indoor residual spraying are all ways to reduce transmission, but the prevalence of mosquitoes in hard-hit areas like Sub-Saharan Africa pose a challenge to eradication measures.

Read more here. . . .

August 20, 2023

 

COVID LEVELS ARE LOW AND RISING MODESTLY NATIONALLY.  WE ARE NOT SEEING A SIGNIFICANT SURGE OF CONCERN AT THIS TIME. THERE IS NOTHING CURRENTLY THAT COMPARES TO THE PREVIOUS SURGES. 

XBB1 IS THE COMMON SUB-TYPE AND EG.5.1, ERIS, IS A RISING VARIANT, BUT IT’S SIGNIFICANCE IS MODEST AT THIS TIME.  THE TALK OF INCREASE IS REAL, BUT NUMBERS REMAIN LOW COMPARED TO PREVIOUS PEAKS.  WORRY FACTOR IS LOW.

WE CONTINUE TO SEE COVID PRIMARILY IN TRAVELERS AND IN PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT HAVE COVID YET WHO ARE EXPOSED TO RECENT TRAVELERS. CONSIDER BOOSTING 2 WEEKS OR MORE PRIOR TO TRAVEL…. AND MASKING DURING TRAVEL WILL KEEP YOUR TRIP COVID-FREE.

TIMING OF VACCINATIONS THIS FALL AND WINTER: 

•      FLU SHOT
•     COVID SHOT
•     RSV SHOT

DO NOT GET ALL SHOTS AT THE SAME TIME.

IF YOU WISH, YOU CAN GET FLU AND COVID AT THE SAME TIME. THAT IS PROVEN SAFE AND EFFECTIVE.

IF YOU ARE GETTING MULTIPLE SHOTS, PLEASE GIVE 2 WEEKS BETWEEN SHOTS

FLU SHOT:  

WHO SHOULD GET IT: RECOMMEND IT FOR EVERYONE OVER 65 AND FOR ANYONE OF ANY AGE WHO DOES NOT WANT TO GET THE FLU.

TIMING: ANYTIME FROM MID-SEPTEMBER ONWARD IS BEST.  FLU SEASON WAS EARLY LAST YEAR, BUT TYPICALLY BEGINS IN EARNEST AROUND THANKSGIVING IN ARIZONA. IT TAKES 2-3 WEEKS FOR THE FLU SHOT TO BE FULLY EFFECTIVE.

COVID SHOT:

UPCOMING AND CURRENT COVID SHOT VERSION:  

THE NEW COVID VACCINE FOR XBB1, THE DOMINANT VARIANT, IS NOT OUT YET.  

IT WILL BE AVAILABLE, WE ARE TOLD, IN OCTOBER. 

IN THE MEANTIME, THE BIVALENT COVID VACCINE IS AVAILABLE.

WHO SHOULD GET IT:  

IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID YET AND ARE OVER 65, I RECOMMEND YOU STAY CURRENT WITH THE LATEST VERSION OF THE VACCINE. GET THE LATEST VACCINE WHEN AVAILABLE.

IF YOU HAVE HAD COVID, YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL PROTECTION AGAINST FUTURE INFECTION, BUT IS NOT A GUARANTEE. 

I WOULD MAKE SURE YOU HAVE HAD A COVID SHOT DURING THE 2023 CALENDAR YEAR FOR THOSE OVER 65 WHO HAVE ADDITIONAL RISK DUE TO HEALTH ISSUES SUCH AS:  ACTIVELY TREATED HEART FAILURE, LUNG DISEASE, OR DIABETES.

WHEN TO GET THE COVID VACCINE: 

I RECOMMEND WAITING UNTIL THE NEW VERSION IS AVAILABLE.  

(EXCEPTIONS ARE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT HAD COVID INFECTION YET AND WHO WERE NOT VACCINATED ANYTIME THIS YEAR…..AND THOSE WHO ARE TRAVELING EXTENSIVELY. YOU CAN GET THE CURRENT VERSION.

RSV VACCINE: 

THIS IS A NEW VACCINE THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR.

THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS, BOTH SIMILAR, AND THERE IS NO SPECIFIC REASON TO CHOOSE ONE OVER THE OTHER (ONE IS GSK..MAKERS OF SHINGRIX, THE OTHER IF PFIZER…MAKERS OF THE COVID VACCINE)

GETTING THE VACCINE THIS YEAR IS ELECTIVE.  I AM NOT BROADLY RECOMMENDING IT.  SEE BELOW FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT FOR EVERYONE DURING THIS FIRST CALENDAR YEAR OF AVAILABILITY.

I DO THINK PEOPLE AT HIGHER RISK SHOULD CONSIDER GETTING THE RSV VACCINE THIS YEAR IF THEY ARE INCLINED…BUT DON’T FEEL OBLIGATED.   

FOR THOSE OVER 65 WHO HAVE ADDITIONAL RISK FOR SERIOUS ILLNESS AS A RESULT OF HEALTH ISSUES SUCH AS:  ACTIVELY TREATED HEART FAILURE, CANCER, LUNG DISEASE, OR DIABETES.

WHEN TO GET RSV VACCINE:  

GET IT ANYTIME…STARTING NOW…

THROUGH THE FEBRUARY.

WEST NILE SEASON IS STILL HERE.   USE PROTECTION. IF WE HEAR OF NEW CASES…WILL REPORT TO YOU. NOT CURRENTLY HIGH LEVEL IN TOWN, BUT NOW IS THE TIME.  BY THE TIME WE SEE THE INCREASE WE WILL BE RUNNING BEHIND…. SO BEGIN NOW.

PLEASE USE MOSQUITO REPELLENT DAILY UNTIL THE END OF SEPTEMBER, OR AT LEAST WHEN IN HIGH EXPOSURE SITUATIONS.

ARIZONA IS THE PRIME USA LOCATION FOR WEST NILE DUE TO HIGH WEST NILE VIRUS LEVELS IN RAPTOR BIRDS WHO ARE IMMUNE TO WEST NILE ILLNESS, BUT NOT IMMUNE TO CARRYING THE VIRUS.

 THIS CAN RESULT IN ARIZONA MOSQUITOS WITH PARTICULARLY HIGH VIRUS LEVELS WHEN THEY BITE.

TOP PODCAST DONE WEEKLY

BY DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM

(UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA)  

He is a world-renowned epidemiologist who was credited with first elucidating TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME in the 1980’s.

He provides comprehensive and understandable/actionable ideas related to COVID.

Dr. Osterholm Update: COVID-19

August 10, 2023

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/episode-137-variant-soup

(Same as last week's.....New podcast next week!)

'Variant Soup'

In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss national and international COVID trends, record dengue outbreaks around the world, and the updated timeline for the new COVID booster shots. Dr. Osterholm also answers an ID query on leprosy in Florida and shares a moment of joy from one of our listeners.

According to Dr. Osterholm……

• GET YOUR 4th BOOSTER (6th SHOT) IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID OR IT’S BEEN LONGER THAN 4 MONTHS SINCE YOU HAD COVID YOURSELF
• A GOOD MASK, N95 OF KN95, DOES HELP REDUCE TRANSMISSION…. USE IT AT HIGH-RISK LOCATIONS
• GOOD VENTILATION IN ROOMS/HOME/BUSINESSES IS A GREAT WAY TO PREVENT TRANSMISSION
• VACCINE, VACCINE, VACCINE…THIS IS OUR PROTECTION.  ALL VACCINES ARE EFFECTIVE AND WITH TIME WE ARE SEEING THAT THE J&J VACCINE IS PICKING UP STEAM AND GIVES SOLID LONG-TERM PROTECTION.
• BOOST, BOOST, BOOST…THIS WILL BE NECESSARY TO PREVENT RECURRING SURGE AND TO RAISE ANTIBODY LEVELS IN THOSE ALREADY SET WITH THE PRIMARY COVID VACCINE SERIES.
• ANTIGEN TESTING IS USEFUL, BUT OF LIMITED VALUE. DON’T DEPEND ON IT…BUT USE IT.

Know that unvaccinated remain a source of potential infection.  Avoiding unvaccinated persons will reduce your risk of COVID.

The World Health Organization is monitoring a new strain of Covid-19 called EG.5, or “Eris,” that accounts for a growing share of cases in countries including China and the United States.

The WHO has designated it a “variant of interest,” meaning it will be monitored for mutations that could make it more severe.

Based on current evidence, the organization says it presents a low public health risk at a global level, in line with other variants currently in circulation. In May, the WHO more broadly said Covid-19 was now “an established and ongoing health issue which no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.”

Symptoms for Eris are reported to be the same as past variants, including a fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, runny nose, and change in taste and smell.

“While EG.5 has shown increased prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape properties, there have been no reported changes in disease severity to date,” the WHO said in a risk evaluation published Wednesday.

It added that these properties may lead the variant to become dominant in some countries, or indeed globally.

The variant’s official name is EG.5, while “Eris” is a random nickname given online that subsequently popularized the EG.5.1 subvariant.

Read more here. . . .

When you roll up your sleeve to get routine vaccinations, do you prefer a jab in your right or left arm? New data suggests the choice you make matters.

Researchers in Germany found people who got all their shots in one arm had a stronger immune response than those who distributed shots between both arms, according to a study published last week in eBioMedicine, a peer-reviewed journal from The Lancet Discovery Science.

In the observational study, authors analyzed immune responses from about 300 people who never had COVID-19 and received two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine between March and September 2021.

Study participants were randomized to receive both doses in one arm or the second dose in the opposite arm.

Two weeks after receiving the shots, researchers discovered certain immune cells – commonly known as “killer T cells” – were detected in 67% of people who received both injections in the same arm versus only 43% of those who got them in different arms. 

Read more here. . . .

Mosquito-borne diseases are those spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Diseases that are spread to people by mosquitoes include Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue, and malaria.

Employers should protect workers and workers should protect themselves from diseases spread by mosquitoes. Although people may not become sick after a bite from an infected mosquito, some people have a mild, short-term illness or (rarely) severe or long-term illness. Severe cases of mosquito-borne diseases can cause death.

Read more here. . . .

Here’s one of very few things that, I wager, all humans can agree on: mosquito bites suck. I’ve spent much of my life battling it with antihistamine creams, alcohol wipes, ice cubes, and a raft of natural remedies that promised to end the irritation but ultimately left me disappointed.

So in June, when a publicist sent me a smartphone accessory that claimed to cure the itch, I greeted it with the same skepticism that I reserve for fad diets.The device, called Heat It, made by a German company and sold in that country since 2020, plugs into the charging port of a smartphone, draws power from its battery, translates that power to heat, and is then used to apply that heat directly to the bite site. It’s about the size of my thumbnail and is controlled by a free app (iOS and Android).

Intrigued, I installed it on my iPhone so I’d be ready for the next testing opportunity—which presented itself the following morning. My daughter is one of those unlucky people who inexplicably attracts mosquitoes where none seem to exist, and she arrived at the breakfast table with a fresh white welt that hadn’t yet matured into pink or red.

I grabbed my phone, opened the app, and followed the prompts that open automatically when you insert the device (which only works when connected to a phone). Three settings (for recipient age, treatment duration, and skin sensitivity) let you adjust the output. Since my daughter is 12, I chose the “child/short/sensitive” combination for our first use. The app told us when Heat It was ready to be applied to her skin, and then a timer counted down for four seconds to an audible chime that indicated the end of treatment.



She was startled by the heat, but unhurt, and by the time breakfast ended, she announced that the bite no longer itched. Even the swelling appeared to have diminished. All that day, she never felt compelled to scratch, which is a huge improvement over her typical routine in which she scratches mosquito bites into open wounds that make her skin look like pepperoni pizza.

Read more here. . . .

After you received your COVID vaccinations, please let us know!

We would like to document this information into your chart.



BUT FIRST.......

PLEASE COMPLETE THE INFORMATION ON THE CARD BEFORE YOU SEND IT TO US!

What we need:

1. Your name
2. Date vaccination received
3. Brand name
4. Lot number if available
5. Which dose you have received

**Email your COVID vaccine completed info HERE

Use insect repellent

Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents with one of the active ingredients below. When used as directed, EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

• DEET
• Picaridin (known as KBR 3023 and icaridin outside the US)
• IR3535
• Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE)
• Para-menthane-diol (PMD)
• 2-undecanone

Find the right insect repellent for you by using EPA’s search tool

Tips for everyone

• Always follow the product label instructions.
• Reapply insect repellent as directed.
• Do not spray repellent on the skin under clothing.
• If you are also using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and insect repellent second.

Read more here. . . .

At our office, we are continuing to follow CDC guidelines and will strive for ways to keep our patients and staff safe.



We recommend that all unvaccinated and vaccinated patients and visitors entering our office cover their nose and mouth at all times.

To prevent further spread of the Delta & Omicron variants, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask guidance on March 21, 2022, to recommend that fully vaccinated people wear masks when in areas with “substantial” and “high” transmission of Covid-19.

We have a limited supply of paper masks and will make these available to patients while they last, however, we encourage you to bring your own facial covering.

SUMMARY OF A COVID KIT & CHECK LIST:

This is what you should have at home to prepare for possible COVID, to monitor yourself if you were to get infected:

DIGITAL ORAL THERMOMETER: MANY BRANDS ARE FINE…HERE IS ONE EXAMPLE:

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Thermometer-Reading-Waterproof-Indicator/dp/B087T3S4TR/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=THERMOMETER&qid=1597159324&sr=8-6

PULSE OXIMETER:  TO CHECK OXYGEN LEVELS. MANY BRANDS ARE FINE...HERE IS ONE EXAMPLE:

https://www.amazon.com/Innovo-Fingertip-Oximeter-Plethysmograph-Perfusion/dp/B07YVGZPRZ/ref=sr_1_20?dchild=1&keywords=PULSE+OXI&qid=1597159388&sr=8-20

OTHER ITEMS FROM THE HOME MEDICAL KIT:

·       TYLENOL, ADVIL, OR ALEVE

·       Sudafed 30mg tablets

·       Chlorpheniramine 4mg tablets

·       Robitussin DM syrup

·       Imodium AD

'Land of the Lost Movie CLIP - Prehistoric Mosquito'

A large mosquito-like insect drains Rick (Will Ferrell) while he serenades the crew with a banjo.